‘Close but no cigar’ is a phrase used to explain when something is close or good but not quite enough. The phrase is of US origin and dates back to the 19th century. American fairs which travelled the country, and still do today, would have fair games that rewarded the player with small prizes for a variety of activities such as throwing a ring on a bottle or a ball into a bucket. Today these prizes are more often than not stuffed animals or toys in one shape or another, with the fairs being aimed at children. However, in the 19th century, fairs were a more family focused piece of entertainment, which shows in the fact that one of the top prizes for these games would be a cigar, so that when a player did well but not well enough, they were close, but not close enough to win a cigar.
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